


If One of Us Falls

by orphan_account



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Al Sah Him - Freeform, Angst, Barry death, Barry dies instead of Thea, Barry works for the SCPD, Death Fic, M/M, Oliver's really sad, Ra's Al Ghul kills Barry, SCPD Barry, replacement fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-16 02:37:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8083372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Title cred- Run for Your Life: the FrayAnother fic where Ra's Al Ghul kills Barry instead of Thea, but everything after that is different. Will Oliver choose to resurrect Barry? Will Barry live with that choice? What do Barry's other friends and family have to say about that? Oliver comes home to find his partner dead, murdered by the one he's supposed to replace. He needs to do something to calm to storm he feels raging inside.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know where this is going yet, hopefully you're as excited as I am to find out! Chapter cred goes to: Timshel-Mumford and Sons
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Lightning_up_the_Room

As Brothers We Will Stand- Chapter I

 

Barry drained the last of his coffee, swirling the bitter caffeine around his mouth as though that would let him feel the affects more. His shift was over, but he needed some calories before he could run over to his apartment. Life had changed so much for Barry since he woke up from a 9 month coma. Superpowers were, in a word, exhilarating. Though, Barry would admit, Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben had a point, with great power comes great responsibility. Being the Flash was more pressure than he could have imagined. He moved slowly down the stairs next to his lab as he read over one of the files that was going home with him that night.

“Leaving so soon Allen?” His captain shouted,

“Yes sir Captain Lance.” Barry said, waving a goodbye absently at the man. He shoved the file into his bag and slipped out the door. The move to Starling had been a hard decision, but Barry had so many bad memories tied to Central City that he couldn’t make it his home anymore. After college, his first choice was Coast, Gotham or Starling, the latter getting back to him first.

The vigilante had almost gotten Joe to bring Barry back, but then Barry discovered who it was under the hood. He signed on to help Oliver and Diggle to take care of the city. Felicity was a surprise, he knew her from a shared coffee shop and the two had become fast friends. Having her on the team was a bit of a social relief, even though he could never see her as she wanted him to. 

Getting stuck by lightning was a wrong place wrong time thing that almost killed him. Barry had been asked to consult on the Mardon case as a favor to his foster father, and had taken the opportunity to catch up with Iris. The particle accelerator had, of course, been on Barry’s mind for months, but he knew it wouldn’t be reasonable to expect to get there. Waking up inside STAR Labs was a wonderful terrible surprise. Getting his life back on track had taken too long, and catching up to everyone else had become impossible. Finally, Barry felt like he was in a good place. He could run to Central any time to help out with their metahuman problems, he was back on track with team arrow, and they knew about his other life. Felicity had gotten over him when he fell into a coma, realizing that she valued his friendship more than any relationship that might develop. 

Recently, Barry had noticed Oliver acting a bit differently around him, and if he reciprocated, who was to blame them? After everything life had dealt them, the two men allowed themselves this thing that had grown. 

Everything that Starling had gone through in the past two and a half years had shaped both men into people who could love and appreciate each other without having to deal with the past. 

Then Ra's Al Ghul had happened, and Sara’s death and Thea’s trouble with Merlyn. Oliver had tried to pull back and Barry had half let him, until he went  to face Ra’s without telling Barry. That led them to now, moved in together in Barry’s medium apartment and stronger than ever.

 

Barry turned into a random alleyway to avoid the civilians and flashed into their apartment, thinking over Wells and what to do about him. When he arrived in the apartment, Thea was tied to a chair and gagged.  “Thea!Ohmygod!Areyouok?OliverisgoingtokillmebecauseIjustgaveitawayandhereletmehelp.” He reached to pull her gag out when he heard a slight hissing noise that signaled an arrow being launched toward them. He turned and grabbed it, noting the man standing there. 

“Hello. You must be Barry.” He said, stepping into the light. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am-”

“Ra’s Al Ghul.” Barry cut him off coldly. “I know who you are. What I don’t know is what you want with Thea, or me for that matter.” He moved slightly in front of Oliver’s sister. Ra’s’ eyes narrowed at the sight and he smiled slightly. Chills ran up and down Barry’s spine as he took in what a bad sign that was.

“I’m here to offer you, and by extension Oliver, an ultimatum.” It clicked in Barry’s mind.

“It’s me or Thea, and you have some magical way to save whichever one of us dies. You’ll, of course, only do it if Oliver becomes the next Ra’s.” He said, the fight draining out of him. He was fast, and had been training with Oliver for years, but that would never compete with Ra’s Al Ghul’s mastery of his art.

“I knew you were smart, but this is new. It’s almost a shame to kill you.” Ra’s said. 

“Well there’s no way in hell I’m letting you kill Thea, so I guess it’s me.” Barry sighed, thought about seeing his mother, even for a short while, thought about Iris and Joe. He thought about what it would do to Oliver, how much worse it would be if it was Thea. “Would you at least let me get her to safety?” Barry asked, meeting the Demon’s eyes. Ra’s nodded,

“On your word that you will return, or I will take you both and Oliver must choose who to save.” Barry inclined his head, then knelt in front of Thea.

“This is going to be disorienting.” He warned. Then, at super speeds, Barry untied Thea and ran her to the Foundry. “Call Oliver” He said before returning to his home. He faces Ra’s again, and inhaled through his nose.

“I’m ready.” Barry said. Ra’s contemplated the man before him for a moment,

“You are a brave man,” He said, “I will make this as painless as possible in respect to that.” Barry nodded, but couldn’t find the words to speak. “Would you like a moment to pray to your god? Or perhaps a last statement?” Barry shook his head, he wasn’t very religious, and his last words would feel inadequate for the situation, there would never be enough said. Ra’s allowed him a moment of peace regardless before he struck. It was almost beautiful, Barry noticed, allowing himself to slip into relative time. Ra’s’ muscles coiled like a snake’s, rippling in slow motion as he moved towards Barry. His eyes were not empty, but remorseful at the taking of a life. Barry refused to die in relative time, so he let the world catch up to him just as the sword of Ra’s was splitting his skin. True to his word, the Demon severed one of the veins connected to his heart, leaving him time to live should Oliver arrive in time. The world blurred as he removed the sword from Barry’s chest and lowered the speedster to the floor. Ra’s laid him on his back and crossed his arms over his chest. When the world was in focus again, Oliver was at his sides, his hands fluttering over his chest.

“O-O-” Barry tried to say his name, to ask about Thea, but Oliver shushed him.

“Shh, Barry you’ll be ok.” Oliver said, his jaw clenching as he tried to comfort his partner. 

“The-theh” He tried again. Oliver understood, somehow.

“She’s safe.” He said, “She’s safe and you’re...and I’m sor… Barry! Barry stay with me please.” His voice went in and out as the world darkened. His eyes weren’t closed, so why was it so dark? Barry tried to smile at Oliver, but he would never know if he was successful as the darkness was burnt away by a white light.

 

*****

Oliver stood in his apartment, just staring blankly at Barry. Despite the deep, ruby red pooling under his white shirt, and the gaping hole in Barry’s chest, he could have been asleep. Oliver couldn’t bring himself to move forward, to embrace Barry. That would make it real. Until Barry moved, or breathed again, Oliver would stay standing right where he was. Suddenly, the speedster gasped. Oliver was at his side in an instant, hands moving over the wound, unsure of what to do.

“O-O-O” Oliver shushed him, cradling the young man to his chest.

“Shhh, Barry you’ll be ok.” He clenched his jaw at who could have done this. 

“The-theh” Barry was trying to speak again. Blood dribbled down the side of his face, his lips painted red. Thea, of course Barry would only think of someone else with a hole in his chest.

“She’s safe.” Oliver breathed, tears finally stinging his eyes. “She’s safe and you’re dying and it’s all my fault and I’m sorry Barry, Barry! Barry stay with me please. Keep your eyes open for me please! You promised not to leave me Barry.” Oliver was rambling, anything to keep Barry awake and talking to him, but his beautiful green eyes were unfocused and staring upwards. Oliver could no longer feel his racing heart beating against his fingertips. The door behind him opened slowly, but Oliver was too busy shutting Barry’s eyelids over his empty eyes. A cold feeling was replacing the storm swirling inside of Oliver, the storm that replaced Barry. 

“He’s really dead?” Thea’s voice said behind him. She sounded young and small again, he could almost picture chasing after her with Tommy. The thought of his friend brought more tears to his eyes. 

“Yes” He said, letting the tears finally fall.


End file.
